Dark-web bust: 50 children rescued from sex-abuse ring

International police authorities have completed a two-year investigation uncovering images of child rape online that should jolt perpetrators in that industry, reports Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

One offender was convicted and sentenced to 146 years in a Thailand jail. Another was sent to 40 years behind the bars in Australian, and another was given 36 years on related counts.

Operation Blackwrist, which was launched in 2017 and named for a wristband worn by one of the suspects, was carried out by INTERPOL’s Crimes Against Children unit.

The investigators spotted the images on a subscription page on the dark web, a collection of websites on encrypted platforms that cannot be found with common search engines.

Authorities found images of abuse of boys under the age of 13.

The investigation continues, with police following up on leads that developed during their work. But several main offenders behind the ring that was uncovered have been convicted and sentenced.

Thai courts sentenced Montri Salangam to 146 years in prison on charges of child rape, human trafficking, possession and distribution of child sexual-abuse material. And an Australian judge has handed Ruecha Tokputza 40 years plus in prison, the longest sentence ever imposed in Australia for child sex offenses.

The judge called the convict “every child’s worst nightmare.”

An associate of Tokputza was given 36 years in prison.

“Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice,” warned Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

The material identified on the dark web was a site that had nearly 63,000 subscribers worldwide.